Vincent Kundukulam
As there is no peace without justice and truth, there is no peace without forgiveness. This is a fact very real but difficult to understand. While making an appeal for peace amidst inter-religious conflicts people used to ask: How can we go for peace-making when justice is denied to us? Is it possible to build up peace with a community which is not sincere in dealing with us? Yes, it is very hard, but along with our fight for justice, we have to pursue dialogue for building up harmony. And what makes the path towards peace easy is the attitude of forgiveness. Pope Francis affirms that true peace can be achieved only when we strive for justice through dialogue, pursue in the path of reconciliation and commit ourselves for the mutual development of different communities (Fratelli Tutti, 229).
Pope Francis is aware about the possibility of having a feeling of revenge when people become realized of unpleasant things happened to them in the past on account of their opponents. But that historical knowledge must not lead to the end of dialogue process, is the view of Pope. He says that violence will lead only to more violence, hatred to more hatred and death to more death. In order to break the cycle, there is no other way but to forgive the rivals. Pope says, this is a unique value endorsed by Jesus. Peace will be established only when takes place reconciliation and forgiveness. (FT 227).
What is the rationale behind Pope’s appeal to forgive the foe seven times whether latter deny justice? Pope enlists a couple of reasons. First and foremost, given we are Christians, we cannot unite for the sake of revenge or treat others with the same violence with which they treated us. It is not Christian to plot opportunities for retaliation under apparently legal auspices. Secondly, by becoming obsessed with taking revenge and destroying the other, no one can achieve inner peace. Thirdly, nothing is gained in this way and in the end, everything is lost. Finally, injustice and hostility can be overcome only with good. When affronted, goodness is never weak but rather shows its strength. Therefore, Pope is convinced that reconciliation is needed in the path towards justice and truth.(FT 242-243).
Having said this, Pope does not promote an inadequate understanding of reconciliation, which will lead to fatalism, injustice and even violence (FT 237). Call to forgiveness does not mean allowing the criminals to continue oppressing us or giving them the impression that what they do is acceptable. On the contrary, loving an oppressor is aimed at stripping him of a power that he does not know how to use. Forgiving an oppressor does not forbid one from ensuring that the accused is not once again crushed down (FT 241). Thus, authentic reconciliation is not achieved in keeping silence or by fleeing away from conflicts. It is to be gained through open, honest and patient negotiation (FT 244).
Theologians consider Fratelli Tutti as a profound document on the question of peace-building because it furnishes detailed discussions on even minute issues that used to emerge in the process of dialogue. For example, Pope says that a sort of social forgiveness must not be demanded of those who have endured much unjust and cruel suffering. This is because reconciliation is a personal act. The wounds will not be healed on all a sudden by any decree. One cannot cover injustice in a cloak of oblivion (FT 246). At the same time, Pope would say that in the face of an action that can never be tolerated we can still forgive. If forgiveness is gratuitous, then it can be shown to even someone who resists repentance and is unable to beg pardon (FT 250).
Finally, to forgive does not demand that we must forget the evils inflicted on us by the adversary. Those who truly forgive does not forget. What they avoid is, not to yield to the same destructive force that caused them suffering. They break the vicious circle (FT 251)According to Pope, forgiveness is precisely what enables us to pursue justice without falling into a spiral of revenge (FT 252). Pope believes that unity is greater than conflict. When we learn to look beyond ourselves and our particular interests, then mutual understanding increases and the commitment bears fruit (FT245)
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